The Oral Health Quality of Life project investigates the impact of oral health and oral functional status on the Quality of Life in a population based on sample of adult and elderly Mexican-Americans and non-Hispanic White residents of three distinct socioeconomically neighborhoods in San Antonio, Texas: a low income barrio, a middle-income transitional, and an upper-income suburban neighborhood. We plan to accomplish this objective by 1) conducting a comprehensive assessment of oral health, oral functional status, Oral Health Quality of Life, and overall Quality of Life; 2) developing and Oral Health Quality of Life Model based on functional and oral measures collected in a comprehensive oral health epidemiological survey; and 3) testing statistical models that represent competing explanations for the relationship between objective and subjective measures of oral health, oral function, and Oral Health Quality of Life. The health and functional status of the oral cavity impacts general health and social relationships. Consequently, oral health and oral functional status can significantly impact a person's quality of life. Its impact is particularly noticeable for older adults. The wealth of historic health and functional status data available on study participants from the SAHS/SALSA surveys gives us the capacity to examine the influence of prior health, life-style, and other psychosocial factors on oral health, oral function, and Oral Health Quality of Life. This is the first population-based study to provide longitudinal data on the relationship of prior burden of disease, life-style and psychosocial function to oral health in adult and elderly Mexican-Americans and non- Hispanic Whites.